As celebrity books boom, professional authors are driven out of full-time work

Novelist Donal Ryan is the latest name forced to seek an income outside books, while children’s writers complain that stars from other media monopolise advancesDespite scoring three bestsellers in five years and a clutch of awards, The Spinning Heart author Donal Ryan has been forced to return to his day job in the Irish civil service in order to pay his mortgage.Ryan has become the latest casualty of tumbling incomes for writers. Despite receiving advances and signing a deal to write three more books with his publisher, the Irish novelist said he had found it impossible to earn a living wage as a full-time writer. “You need to have something else on the go,” he told the Irish Sunday Independent. “You could take a chance and scrape a living through bursaries and writing books, but I’d get too stressed out. It just isn’t worth it. I have two kids in school and I have a mortgage to pay.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: Is It Time for Publishing to Call a Truce?

Porter Anderson looks at the Frankfurt Book Fair, at Sprint Beyond the Book and Book Sprints, at pen names, and more in Ether for Authors this week. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Markus Dohle's Full Remarks

What does the future hold for the world's first mega trade publisher, Penguin Random House? Check out this transcript of PRH CEO Markus Dohle's full remarks delivered at the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Debut From Joshua Ferris’s Wife Draws Buzz, Along With Co-Authored Iraq War Novel

Two more books drawing buzz at the fair include a debut novel by Joshua Ferris's wife, and a co-authored book about friendship and the Iraq war. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Working the Digital Content Space

Uncertainty is one big obstacle holding publishers back from outsourcing their distribution, observes CEO Gareth Cuddy of ePubDirect. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China’s CN Times Books Debuts U.S. List

CN Times Books is the U.S. publishing subsidiary of Beijing Media Time Book Co. Ltd., one of the largest trade book publishers in China. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sherman Alexie to authors: Work at an indie bookstore on Small Business Saturday

Alexie, author of books including 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,' wrote a letter urging his fellow writers to handsell their books on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. 'The most important thing is that we’ll all be helping Independent bookstores, and God knows they’ve helped us... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Who Died in Syria Wins Arab American Book Award

The late New York Times Reporter Anthony Shadid, who died in Syria last year, is among the winners of the 2013 Arab American Book Awards. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bill McGowan Works to Make Authors Pitch-Perfect

In the early 2000s, while working as a producer at ABC’s 20/20, Bill McGowan put together a branding video for a dot-com entrepreneur. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guide to the Frankfurt Book Fair

Many authors wonder if attending the Frankfurt Book Fair is a worthwhile expense. Our downloadable guide explains the steps you need to take to know if it's right for you. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blurb: Making Books in Real Time

Books, including Blurb books, were always kind of after the fact,” said Eileen Gittins, CEO of Blurb, the fast-growing POD self-publishing platform. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book festival celebrates 30 years

The Edinburgh Book Festival, which is celebrating 30 years, is the "largest and best respected literary festival in the world", according to its director. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Could Limited-Time Fixed Book Pricing Boost Backlist Sales?

Could limiting the period for fixed book prices give a needed boost to backlist sales by allowing retailers to discount after the initial buying frenzy is over? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: Is Today’s Book Marketing All in the Algorithms?

Porter Anderson takes in recent discussions about metadata and book marketing, a live, crowdsourced writing experiment, book recommendation culture, and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author faced 'hostility' over book

Author Ros Barber recalls the early hostile reaction she received for her award-winning debut novel in which playwright Christopher Marlowe is credited as the true author of Shakespeare's plays. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dyslexic author wins book prize

Sally Gardner, a dyslexic author once branded "unteachable" at school, wins the prestigious Carnegie Medal for her book Maggot Moon. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Leadership Book Author On Why You're Better Off Reading Fiction For Lasting Lessons

Craig Chappelow has written about how leaders can be more successful. But he'd crack One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest before the latest business book any day. Here's why he thinks you should, too. Read any good leadership books lately? Me either. It seems like popular books about leadership... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Glee' star Lea Michele will author a combination memoir/ how-to book

Lea Michele has appeared in several Broadway productions and stars on the Fox musical series 'Glee.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Patchett: 'Authors must work with trade'

Orange Prize-winner Ann Patchett has warned that authors who decide to shun traditional... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Free Comic Book Day: What is it and how can you celebrate?

Free Comic Book Day will be held on May 4 and will give comic book fans a chance to receive free comic books including issues from series like 'Superman' and 'Walking Dead'. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Female authors lead book longlist

The longlist for the sixth Desmond Elliott Prize, which honours the best in debut fiction, is unveiled, with seven of the 10 novels by women. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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